Vienna Way Residence, Venice, United States

California dreaming

Beautiful views of the Californian landscape are let into this family house

The Vienna Way residence, designed for a young family in 2009, is located on a large, extensively landscaped lot in Venice, CA. Floor to ceiling glazing and outdoor living spaces fully integrate the home within the California native landscape.

Working within the restrictions posed by the narrow site, the design divides the lot into thirds, with the two main volumes placed on the exterior edges of the property, bridged by a sunken kitchen in the centre. The one-story structure to the south houses a great room that combines formal living and dining areas. The structure begins in the front of the property and flows into an outdoor dining patio. A large expanse of glass along the east provides a visual and spatial link to the pool area.

The northern structure runs from the back of the property forward, also leading to an outdoor living area, and contains more casual, private spaces, including a family room and an office on the first floor and bedrooms on the second floor. Glazing along the second-story hallway offers views of the green roof (above the kitchen) and tree tops below.

The kitchen acts as the hub of the residence, connecting the public and private areas and providing views of the pool, side yard and rear property. From the exterior, the kitchen is shaped by a bronze box that emphasises its significance and provides contrast to the plaster façade found on the main volumes of the residence.

In addition to bridging the two main volumes, the kitchen is the centre of a water-related area that starts in front with a swimming pool and flows through the kitchen and over its green roof, and continues in the backyard's riparian landscape planted with rushes, reeds, and sycamore trees. These plantings give way to a large play yard filled with buffalo grass and surrounded by oak trees and other California native plants.